Al-Shabab militants regularly attack. [Source: BBC]

Militant Islamists in Somalia have been involved in a gun battle with security forces at a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab says it was behind the attack at the Afrik Hotel, which began with a car bomb on Sunday afternoon.

It is not yet confirmed how many casualties there are, but police said many people had been rescued.

The group, which is linked to al-Qaeda, regularly carries out attacks against the government.

A car hit the hotel’s front entrance and detonated before gunmen stormed the building, according to officials and others at the scene.